Whole Foods is what you want.

Let me tell you about a little slice of heaven called Whole Foods Market. It’s slightly more expensive than your standard Kroger or Meijer grocery store, but they have the best selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, and organic foods. Even though there are a few in Michigan, I was never exposed to Whole Foods until I moved to Washington, DC. Just walking into one of the stores is a sensory overload comparable to a spiritual experience. Not only is the selection of product unbelievable, but they do everything right that the other stores get wrong. This is especially apparent here in the city where my other grocery store option is a Safeway that is tiny and crowded, with picked over shelves and an average register wait time in the evening of around 15 minutes. At Whole Foods, the shelves are always full, the aisles are clean, large, and well laid out, and best of all, they have plenty of cashiers working and I have never waited longer than one minute in line at the register.

WAIT THERE’S MORE: They almost always have the nice ladies out serving really good free samples. For example, last time I was there, I had a piece of some of the best sausage I’ve ever tasted as well as a sliver of some delicious apple pie a la mode with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Even if Whole Foods may be a little on the expensive side for your weekly grocery shopping, it can still serve as a great place to pick up some high quality ingredients for a meal you may be cooking for a ladyfriend. Just walking into the place makes you want to cook.

Going along with the organic granola-eating philosophy enjoyed by the company, they get 100% of their energy from renewable sources such as biomass, geothermal, small-hydro, solar, and wind power. Whole Foods Market is now the largest corporate purchaser of “green” energy and the second largest overall, purchasing less than only the U.S. Air Force.

I suppose if I was back home in suburban Detroit, it wouldn’t have as much appeal, with large, bright Kroger and Meijer nearby, but here in the urban wasteland where all grocery stores are overpriced anyway, Whole Foods is a great place to be.